1948-'54 Oliver 77 Tractors

Utilitarian function afield meets fleetline design styling

Feature Article from Hemmings Motor News

Not all green tractors are John Deeres, and Moline didn't corner the market on good looks. Oliver produced the Fleetline series tractors for only a few short years, but their good looks made them a highly sought-after model for crop planters, fruit orchard owners and gentleman farmers alike. Even today, Oliver 77 model tractors have a high collectibility value among restorers and vintage tractor owners.
Initially offered as a replacement for the 1937-'48 standard 70, the 77 was available in three different configurations, the 77 standard with a wide front axle, the 77 row-crop with the tricycle-style narrow front end and the 77 orchard with its lower profile and full skirted fenders.
An additional model, the Super 77 was added for the 1954-'58 model years. Their enclosed engine compartment, which added to the tractors' pleasing appearance, can easily identify Fleetline tractors of the late 1940s and early 1950s, but the engine side panels were dropped on the later Super 77.
Oliver offered three different six-cylinder engine options, all manufactured with help from Waukesha, which used three different fuel types. The gas engine was 193.9 cubic inches with 6.75:1 compression and rated to 1,600 RPM. It could run on gas, kerosene and distillates. The vertical L-head diesel had the same displacement and RPM rating; however, its compression ratio was much higher at 15.75:1.
The company was one of the first to successfully market a diesel-powered farm tractor. The LP gas engine was a smaller 139.9-cu.in. six-cylinder. Gas and LP engines used six-volt electrics, and the diesel used 12-volt. The manual transmission had straight-cut gears with six forward and two reverse speeds. First gear had a manageable 2.5:1 ratio with sixth gear a whopping 11.5:1. Reverse ratios were 2.6:1 and 4.5:1.
A side-mounted 7-inch belt pulley provided the powertrain for numerous equipment attachments and a three-point hitch in the rear could pull most equipment of its day. The two-wheel-drive chassis was 91 inches long and 60 inches wide with an overall length for the wide front Standards of 130 inches and 75 inches in height. A mechanical drum brake was mounted to the rear differential to stop the 2¼-ton base weight, and manual steering was your only option.
Front tires were 5.50 or 6.00x16, mounted on artillery-type wheels with huge 10 to 12-inch x 38-inch rear treaded tires to help the rear differential pull the weight. Gas models have a curb weight of 4,207 pounds, with the diesels weighing in at just over 4,500 pounds. For extra heavy tasks, the farmer could add up to an additional 2 tons of ballast to the front and rear axles for improved traction.
Although Olivers were some of the most powerful tractors of their day, they were also some of the most expensive, with models selling for up to $3,000 in the 1950s. Unrestored Standards are still being used today and selling for $1,500 to $2,500, with restored units beginning at around $3,500 and selling for as much as $6,000 or more for the Orchard 77s.

This article originally appeared in the July, 2011 issue of Hemmings Motor News.